Order between July 12 and August 16, 2019
Ordering Made Easy
1. Select Your Wines
Let yourself be inspired by our detailed descriptions to find out which wines best suit your palate. Our custom chart also features a variety of symbols (explained below) that can guide your selection.
Legend
Grape variety Red White Rosé
Sparkling
Bottle size
Number of bottles in case
Aroma
Taste
Serving temperature
Ideal with Evolution Drink this year
Will develop, drink within 2 years
Meant for cellaring
Concentration
Light Medium Great Oak Light
Medium
Heavy
Limited quantities
Limited
Very limited
Extremely limited
Less than 100 cases available
Members’ Choice
Most ordered by Opimian members
Opimian Suggests Starting a cellar
Medal Winner
Discovery
Opimian Discovery 2018 C260
Select Plus Opimian Select Plus 2018 C260
M—Degree of Maturity (1-10)
M1 = lay down
M10 = fully mature
D—Degree of Drinkability (1-10)
D1 = needs time D10 = ready to drink
Still unsure what to order? Opimian’s Member Service team is always available to help you make an informed choice. Call us at 1-800-361-9421 or e-mail MemberService@Opimian.ca.
2. Place Your Order
There are four ways to order
• Online: Go to Opimian.ca, sign in and select Order Wine
• Email MemberService@Opimian.ca with your selection.
• Call 1-800-361-9421
• Mail your order*
3. Let Us Handle the Rest
The wines featured on this Cellar Offering are still at the producers’ wineries when you order them so it is normal that the process takes a bit of time and effort on our side.
Release dates are dependent upon actual arrival dates, distance from port of entry to liquor board and processing time required by each liquor board. For this cellar offering, the expected release date is early January 2020
Once the wine arrives at your local liquor store or distribution centre, you will receive a Pick Up Notice with the specified date (the Release Date) and your pick up location. You can follow the status of your shipment at all times at Opimian.ca.
Conditions of Purchase
• Accepted payment methods: Credit Card (Visa, MasterCard, American Express) or cheque payable to Opimian.
• Prices include all applicable federal and provincial mark ups and taxes.
• A valid membership card is required to order and pick up.
• Bottle prices are for reference only. All orders are by the case, with no minimum required.
• Last day to order from this Cellar Offering: August 16, 2019. Important: no orders will be processed after this deadline.
* Deadline for mailing orders: August 6, 2019. Please allow 10 days for delivery by Canada Post.
Notes (as required by the SAQ’s operating procedures)
(as
• A member ordering from this Cellar Offering requests that Opimian acts as the member’s agent in ordering the wines from the Société des Alcools du Québec (SAQ) and requests that Opimian remits the funds enclosed (minus any administration fees) to the SAQ to pay for the wines ordered.
• The prices as shown are the estimated costs to be charged by the SAQ plus an administration fee and consolidation charges.
Sweetness scale Grams/litre Examples
[00] 0 - 3 Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, many reds
[01] 4 - 6 Some New World varietals, some reds
[02] 7 - 12 Champagne, Sparkling, Rosés, few reds
[03] 13 - 20 Mosel, some Alsace, Anjou
[04] 21 - 34 Semi-sweet Bordeaux, some sherry
[05] 35 - 50 Kabinett German, Late Harvest, Alsace
[06] 51 - 74 Spätlese German, Sweet Loire, Port, Dessert Muscat
[07] 75 - 100 Auslese, Beerenauslese
[08] 101 - 139 Icewines, Sauternes, Barsac, dessert wines, Port
[09] 140 - 179 Icewines, Sauternes, Barsac, dessert wines, Port
[10] 180 > Speciality sweet wines, Trockenbeerenauslese
cover — The almond trees at BLB Vignobles are the first to bloom at the beginning of March. As the vines are still sleepy from winter, we know spring is coming and start looking forward too sunny days.
Cellar 269
Burgundy, the Loire Valley, Languedoc-Roussillon and Corsica
Languedoc-Roussillon
Burgundy produces some of the most expensive wines in the world, and they can be incredibly long-lived and complex. For most of us mere mortals, those wines are way over our budget. Even if you have the cash, Burgundy is one of the trickiest wine regions to get to grips with. It is very easy to spend a lot of money, be sorely disappointed and wonder what all the fuss is about. The good news is that there are affordable and delicious wines to be found. The key is the grower. There are small family-run vineyards with honest hardworking individuals dedicated to making quality wines. They may not possess the very top vineyard sites, but their determination and endeavours can produce special wines. When you find a Burgundy that truly “sings”, it all falls into place. Five such family estates are featured in this Cellar Offering, with wines from the acclaimed 2016 and 2017 vintages, as well as the 2018, which I think is heading to be even better.
2018 is also being hailed an epic year across the Loire Valley, after the very short harvest in 2016 and a small heterogeneous one in 2017. Even the oldest Loire winegrowers cannot remember a better harvest in terms of both quality and quantity. From Muscadet in the west across to Sancerre 360 kilometres to the east, via the vineyards of Angers and Tours, the wines are stunning. To complement these two so-called “marginal” climates, we present wines from the Languedoc and Corsica. In these southern climes, the climate from year to year is more regular with lots of sunshine hours and warmer temperatures, producing a range of styles.
Opimian’s Wine Consultant Jane Masters MW, tastes, selects and writes the commentary for each of the wines in the cellar offerings. Celebrating her 21st year as a Master of Wine this year (one of 384 globally), Jane held the position of Chairman of the prestigious Institute of Masters of Wine 2016-2018. Having trained as a winemaker at the Institut d’Oenologie in Bordeaux after a degree in Biological Chemistry, Jane worked for UK retailer Marks & Spencer running the Wine & Drinks Category for many years. As an independent consultant Jane is constantly on the look out for exclusive wines from around the world for Opimian members. She regularly visits wine regions and meets producers and loves to share her passion and knowledge.
“The art of imparting the culture of Burgundy.“
photo — Louis, the eldest son, is now an apprentice at Domaine de la Romanée Conti, where he works on some plots with Rafale, the Comtois horse.
CELLAR 269 — QUEBEC
BURGUNDY
La Rochepot Domaine Billard Père et Fils
Jérôme Billard is the mayor of La Rochepot, a village in the Hautes-Côtes de Beaune. The Hautes-Côtes vineyards are located to the west of the main Côte d’Or, higher up the escarpment. The higher altitude means it’s generally cooler and the vines are more exposed. Changes in climate over the last twenty years and improvements in the vineyard means that good wines can be consistently made. Like many properties in the HautesCôtes, Domaine Billard previously farmed other crops. Since taking over the running of the estate in 1999, Jérôme Billard’s focus is purely on vine growing and he has been buying small plots of land in different appellations to total approximately 20 hectares.
2018 is a high-quality vintage and all Jérôme’s wines scored equally very highly in the tasting, making this my favourite vintage I ever tasted for his wines. Obviously, it is early days - all wines were tasted and selected as barrel samples and will remain in barrel for several months prior to bottling. As I write this, I have just had news from Jérôme that they suffered some frost in Saint-Aubin in the early hours of Sunday April 14, despite their best efforts lighting fires. It’s too early to tell the extent of the damage. Fingers crossed for the next couple of weeks while the vines buds are particularly vulnerable.
Jérôme’s 2018 Auxey-Duresses has intense crushed strawberry and cherry aromas. It is light to medium bodied with a deliciously tangy acidity. It is well balanced with succulent fruits on the finish and will be perfect for drinking over the next few years. Jérôme has 1.25 hectares in the appellation of Auxey-Duresses with vineyards on the outskirts of the village facing south. Originally cordon-trained, Jérôme has converted the vines to Guyot in order to improve grape quality. All the red wines were fermented by natural yeasts in open top fermenters with regular punching down. Auxey-Duresses was matured in Allier oak barrels with 15% new.
2020-2024, M7 D8
Crushed strawberry, cherries 18°C
Tangy fruits
Cedar-planked salmon with roasted potatoes
Pinot Noir
1432
Vignes Moingeon is a Premier Cru site in Saint Aubin which lies to the north of the appellation. Jérôme has 0.85 hectares of Chardonnay and is the only grower to bottle a wine 100% from this Premier Cru. Aromas of fresh apples and pears precede a soft smooth palate. It is medium bodied with some structure, well balanced with rich ripe fruit flavours leading to a lemon curd finish. Vines are cultivated on southeast facing slopes on white marl soils. It was fermented and matured on lees for eight months in oak barrels. A third of the barrels were new and made from Allier oak with a light toast, and the balance older barrels from the Forest of Tronçais.
A concentrated wine with structure and a firm acidity, Les Castets 2018 will benefit from some time in bottle. Less overtly perfumed than the 2017, it is vibrant in colour with aromas of cherries and red apples. The small 0.33-hectare vineyard, with vines planted in the 1960s, lies to the west of the village with a prime exposition facing south-south-east. It was matured in Vosges oak barrels for nine months with 20% new.
Jérôme’s 2018 Chassagne Montrachet is intensely perfumed with red and black cherry fruit aromas complemented by floral notes of peonies and roses. It is medium bodied and supple with a firm acidity, fine powdery texture and long sour cherry finish. The 0.2 hectares of 60-year-old vines are planted to the south of the village of ChassagneMontrachet in the Lieu-Dit Les Morichots. The wine was matured in oak from the Vosges forest in the north east of France.
Concentrated, structured
Dijon and ale braised rabbit
Fresh and sour cherry
Tarragon-herbed roasted quail
M7 D8
Apples, pears 6°C
Ripe fruits, lemon curd, [00]
Pork chops with Mornay sauce
2020-2026, M6 D7
Red apples, cherries 18°C
2020-2026, M7 D8
Red and black cherries, peony, rose 18°C
photo — Louis’ great-grandfather, Louis Billard, was a winemaker and a horse trainer for neighbouring winegrowers.
Pinot Noir
1434 BEAUNE 1ER CRU, LES CHOUACHEUX, AOC, 2018
$ 61.00 $ 366.00
Yeasty savoury notes characterize Jérôme’s 2018 Les Chouacheux with fruits in the background. This is a rich mouthfilling wine with good mid palate and a soft silky texture. It is much firmer and more structured than the Chassagne-Montrachet, with supple tannins and ripe cherry flavours on the finish. It will merit cellaring for some time before being at its optimum for drinking. Produced from Jérôme’s oldest vines, this Premier Cru site sits close to the famous Clos des Mouches vineyard on dark brown, clay and alluvial soils. Planted in 1952, Jérôme purchased his 0.5-hectare plot in 2010. Les Chouacheux was matured for ten months in oak from the Bertrange Forest in Allier with 25% new oak.
Deliciously ripe mellow fruits with red apples, cherries and herbal notes lead to a soft velvety palate. Billard’s Pommard just blew me away at the end of a very strong line up of 2018s! It is rich with fresh red cherry, cherry jam and other cooked fruit flavours. Supple with concentration and a succulent finish. Vines are cultivated on alluvial soils to the east of the village of Pommard at the bottom of the slope on what was an old river bed with large stones and chalky marl. The deep well draining soils, similar to neighbouring Premier Crus, combined with a south-east exposition, ensure full maturity of Pinot and produce finely textured wines. Jérôme’s vineyards in Pommard and Beaune Les Chouacheux are worked using a Comtois horse in order to avoid soil compaction that can occur using tractors. Named Rafale, he is 13 years old and was previously employed by a prestigious neighbouring estate in the Côte de Nuits where Jérôme’s son Louis is an apprentice.
2020-2026, M6 D7
Savoury 18°C
Cherry, structured
Grilled rack of lamb with herb crust served with roasted beet salad
2019-2026, M6 D8
Herbal, cherries, red apple 18°C
Concentrated sweet fruits
Guinea fowl thighs with cider, served with winter vegetables
photo — The view from the St-Aubin Premier Cru Vignes Moingeon vineyard, a beautiful terroir from Côte de Beaune.
1435 POMMARD, AOC, 2018
Pinot Noir
$ 67.00 $ 402.00
Pinot Noir
photo — Our Burgundian winemakers are devoted to their terroir and moved by the same passion. There is always a Burgundy wine to quench your thirst!
CELLAR 269 — QUEBEC
BURGUNDY
Ternand Bernard Perrin
Three family-owned and run estates in Burgundy based just north of Beaune. Each estate has been in the family for several generations, and has built up a patchwork of vineyards in different appellations. Some 135 kilometres to the north-west are the vineyards of Pierre Sorin, who produces Sauvignon and a light Pinot Noir in Saint-Bris-le-Vineux.
1436 DOMAINE BONNARDOT, AOC CÔTE DE NUITS-VILLAGES, 2016
Noir $ 47.00 $ 282.00
Domaine Bonnardot in the Hautes-Côtes de Nuits shares many parallels with Domaine Billard Père et Fils in the Hautes-Côtes de Beaune. The family domaine based at Villersla-Faye, ten kilometres north of Beaune and seven kilometres from Nuit-Saint -Georges, developed from a polyculture farm in the 1960s to become focused on viticulture. The family now has approximately 20 hectares of vines spread across eight appellations in the vicinity. Today it is run by the fourth generation – Daniele – who has been making the wines since 2009. Her 2016 Côte de NuitsVillages has an intense complex bouquet with fruit, spice, vanilla, oak and some herbs. It is medium bodied with a supple mid palate and flavours of cola, dark fruits, and treacle. Domaine Bonnardot Côte de Nuits-Villages is concentrated, rich and structured with prominent oak which will tame with time. The grapes came from 70 to 80-year-old vines from four parcels in Premeaux-Prissey, Comblanchien and Corgoloin. These were affected by the frost in April 2016, reducing yields to a mere 15 hl/ha. The wine spent 11 months in oak with 15% new barrels.
2019-2024, M7 D9
Complex, fruit, spice, vanilla oak 18°C
Cola, dark fruits, treacle, oak
Prime rib roast with Béarnaise sauce
Pinot
Domaine
Désertaux-Ferrand
Do not miss out on these limitedquantity wines. Order today!
The Domaine Désertaux-Ferrand origins date back to 1899 when Amable Désertaux, an equipment supplier in Beaune, built a house and winery in the village of Corgoloin where his wife was from. When his grandson Bernard Désertaux and his wife Janine Ferrand took over in the 1960s, the vineyard was increased from three to twelve hectares and the couple started to sell their wines in bottle. Today, 80% of the estate’s production is sold in bottle mostly to private customers with just 20% exported. The family’s vineyards stretch as far south as Meursault and up to Nuits-SaintGeorges. Wines are made by Vincent Désertaux.
photo — The Pinot Noir vines from Domaine Désertaux-Ferrand, in the Côte de Nuits-Villages appellation.
DOMAINE DÉSERTAUX-FERRAND,
AOC BOURGOGNE PINOT NOIR, 2017
The 2017 Bourgogne Pinot Noir has nice red berry and wild strawberry aromas. It is soft and light bodied yet shows some depth on the palate. It is supple with a firm acidity. A youthful Pinot Noir with red cherry and menthol flavours. Perfect for early consumption and a good introduction to Burgundy.
1438 BOURGOGNE PINOT NOIR, AOC CÔTE DE NUITS-VILLAGES, LES PERRIÈRES, 2016
Last year, the 2015 Les Perrières Côte de Nuits-Villages from Domaine DésertauxFerrand was a Coup de Cœur. The 2016 is also a star and was only just marginally pipped to the post for the same accolade. For members who enjoy fine elegant Burgundy, you will not be disappointed. While quite pale in colour, it has lots of red berry fruits and typical Pinot notes with herbs, vermouth and mint. It is soft and smooth with redcurrant flavours, light to medium bodied with a silky texture and good mid palate fruit. This is an elegant wine which opens in the glass to reveal raspberry fruits and an intense finish. Les Perrières grapes come from a 2.6-hectare plot with good exposition and were picked by hand. After cold maceration and fermentation for 15 days, the wine was matured in oak for twelve months. The 2016 was awarded a gold medal at the Concours des Vins de Mâcon last year and we immediately requested the domaine to keep stock for Opimian members.
2019-2022, M7 D9
Wild strawberries, red berries 18°C
Red cherry, menthol
Whole roast chicken with mushrooms and herbs
2019-2023, M7 D9
Red berries, mint, vermouth herbs
18°C
Redcurrant
Red wine-braised partridge with carrots and fingerling potatoes
photo — The Désertaux-Ferrand family: Christine, her brother Vincent and his wife Geneviève.
MIXED CASE
Two bottles each Clos Margot, Les Ratausses & Les Brunettes
DOMAINE DUBOIS BERNARD & FILS, AOC CHOREY-LES-BEAUNE, CLOS MARGOT, 2017
DOMAINE DUBOIS BERNARD & FILS, AOC SAVIGNY-LES-BEAUNE, LES RATAUSSES, 2017
I met Bernard Dubois at the end of a beautiful sunny day during the harvest in September 2016. Pickers and grapes had arrived back at the cellar in ChoreyLes-Beaune after a long and very hot day harvesting. Lots of activity cleaning picking equipment and processing grapes was underway. Bernard was busy running around seeing that grapes were properly sorted. Despite a hectic time and disappointingly low yields – he lost 50% of his crop in 2016 – Bernard was as friendly and generous with both his time and his wine as they come! His family have been vintners since the 1800s and he now farms 13 hectares.
This wine is produced from a single plot from Clos Margot of approximately 0.75 hectares, situated close to and west of the village of Chorey-lès-Beaune. Vines have an average age of 35 years. Rather closed at the time of tasting with some redcurrant aromas, it is supple on the palate with good concentration, a velvety texture and long bitter cherry finish, which opens up in the glass. After a cold maceration, the wine was fermented with skins for three weeks followed by twelve months in barrel with 25% new oak.
The Savigny-Les-Beaune appellation borders that of Chorey-lès-Beaune to the west, with Les Ratausses at the meeting point at its southern end. Situated on similar clay limestone soils, the vines have an average age of 50 years. Deeper in colour, it is more expressive than the Chorey with a nutty almond aroma. It is medium bodied with a bitter cherry finish and was produced in the same way as Chorey-lès-Beaune with no filtration or fining and so may leave a harmless deposit in the bottle over time.
Mole-spiced roasted turkey
photo — At Domaine Bernard Dubois, hand-harvesting is a great time to share and admire the beautiful Burgundy landscape.
Pinot Noir
Pinot Noir
2020-2024, M7 D8
Redcurrant 18°C
Bitter cherry
Rosemary and apple pork tenderloin
2020-2024, M7 D8
Nutty, marzipan 18°C
Bitter cherry
DOMAINE DUBOIS BERNARD & FILS, AOC ALOXE-CORTON, LES BRUNETTES, 2017
Produced from 80-year-old vines cultivated at Les Brunettes. The quality of the terroir shows through with more intense and typical Pinot notes with redcurrants and blackcurrants. It has more weight on the palate, with a silky texture and a supple finish. In Bernard’s vineyards, one is never far from sight of the iconic Corton hill. Vineyards stretch out beneath it towards Chorey and Savigny to form the Aloxe-Corton appellation.
Blackcurrants, supple
1440 DOMAINE PIERRE SORIN, SAINTBRIS, AOC, 2018
Sauvignon Blanc
$ 31.00 $ 186.00
A successful vintage for Pierre Sorin, his 2018 Sauvignon has a mineral yeasty nose with lime fruit in the background. More lime and blackcurrant flavours are apparent on the palate with good depth and a supple crisp finish.
1441 DOMAINE SORIN COQUARD, BOURGOGNE CÔTES D’AUXERRE, AOC, PINOT NOIR, 2018
Pinot Noir $ 32.00 $ 192.00
Domaine Sorin Cocquard’s Bourgogne has less distinctive Pinot character than Domaine DésertauxFerrand’s Bourgogne, yet it has lots of appealing fruit with cooked cherry aromas. It is soft and medium bodied with a crystalline acidity giving length. Fermented in old concrete tanks, 20% of the final blend was aged in oak barrels.
Blackcurrant, mineral, [00]
Citrus and herb marinated shrimp and scallop brochettes
Crystalline acidity, summer fruits
Boeuf Bourguignon
2019-2021, M8 D9
Yeasty, mineral, limes 6°C
2019-2023, M7 D9
Cooked cherries 16°C
photo — Pierre Sorin and his parents during pruning, on the St-Bris plateau.
2020-2026, M6 D7
Redcurrant, Pinot nose 18°C
Chicken liver pâté aux herbes de Provence
Pinot Noir
“2018 gave us the ideal conditions to obtain refined, fruity and well-balanced wines.“
–Marc Vappereau
THE LOIRE VALLEY
Alligny-Cosne Maison Foucher Lebrun
Hoorah! After the very small crop in 2016 and a small heterogeneous harvest in 2017, 2018 is being hailed an epic year in the Loire, across the whole region. Even the oldest winegrowers cannot remember a better harvest in terms of both quality and quantity. Loire followed a similar pattern to many regions in France in 2018 with lots of rain in spring ensuring plenty of water reserves in the soil (irrigation is not permitted), so vines had good access to water to cope with the summer heatwave. And the weather stayed good and unseasonably warm right through October, so no rush to pick and lots of quality grapes.
1442
TOURAINE SAUVIGNON, AOC, CÉCILE LEBRUN, 2018
Sauvignon Blanc
$ 24.00 $ 144.00
A characterful wine with fresh ripe gooseberry and gooseberry jam aromas. It is light to medium bodied and easy drinking with lemon and lime flavours. An elegant wine with crisp lemon finish. Outstanding for the price, an immediate favourite for me.
1443
TOURAINE, AOC, CÉCILE LEBRUN, 2018
Gamay
$ 22.00 $ 132.00
Dark forest fruit aromas precede a supple and concentrated palate with a fine texture and flavours of blackcurrant and other fresh dark fruits. Vineyards are planted on Aubuis soils – a type of clay and limestone soils. Harvested by hand, the wine was fermented and aged in tank.
Fresh gooseberry, lemon, lime, [00]
and avocado tacos
Blackcurrants, plums
Pâté en croute (pâté in pastry shell)
2019-2020, M8 D9
Gooseberry jam, flint 6°C
Shrimp
2019-2021, M8 D9
Forest fruits 14°C
1444 POUILLY FUMÉ, AOC, CÉCILE LEBRUN, 2018
Sauvignon Blanc
$ 39.00 $ 234.00
Picked early to retain freshness, 2018 Cécile Lebrun Pouilly Fumé has aromas of fresh fennel with gunflint and mineral notes. It is medium bodied with good mid palate weight and gooseberry flavours. On the finish it is crisp with lingering lemon, lime and other citrus flavours. The grapes were grown on two soils within the appellation – Portlandian limestone, bringing minerality, and “silex” clay-flint, giving more richness. Grapes were de-stemmed, pressed and slowly fermented over a six to eight-week period.
1445
SANCERRE BLANC, AOC, CÉCILE LEBRUN, 2018
Sauvignon Blanc
$ 43.00 $ 258.00
Cécile Lebrun Sancerre 2018 at the time of tasting was much tighter and less aromatic in style – normal at this juncture in its life. It has some wet earth and mineral notes with less fruit on the palate, and a firm acidity followed by a long mineral and bitter grapefruit finish. Given the quality of the vintage, this should open up over the next six to twelve months and will drink nicely over several years. Vinified in much the same way as the Pouilly Fumé, the difference is the source of Sauvignon Blanc grapes, cultivated across the Loire river on the left bank. Vines are planted on Kimmeridgian and Oxfordian soils with some silex.
2019-2021, M8 D9
Fresh fennel, gunflint 6°C
Gooseberry, lemon, limes, [00]
Oyster Po’ Boy sandwiches
2019-2022, M8 D9
Mineral, wet earth, fennel 6°C
Grapefruit, mineral finish, [00]
Onion tart with fiddleheads
Explore the wide range of the Loire Valley’s many diverse grape varieties.
Delicate aromas of cooked pears and fresh apples lead to an off dry palate. More white fruit flavours, pears, white peach and some honey emerge before a fresh lemony acidity kicks in. Sherbet lemon flavours simply linger on the palate, giving length and tempting another sip. Chenin Blanc vines are cultivated on the tufa hills along the banks of Loire river, close to the town of Tours, a historical UNESCO World Heritage Site.
An instant impression of spices, incense and strawberry leaf aromas lead to a supple palate and medium bodied wine. It has a fine silky texture with light tannins. Dark fruit flavours emerge in the mouth with a slight earthiness and a bitter chocolate finish. Produced from Cabernet Franc, grapes were grown on sandy terraces and calcareous soils. A small portion of the wine was matured in old barrels.
2019-2021, M8 D9
Cooked pears, fresh apples 6°C
White fruits, honey, sherbet lemons, [04]
Fish terrine served with grilled baguette
2019-2021, M8 D9
Spices, incense, strawberry leaf 18°C
Dark fruits, bitter chocolate
Stuffed portobello mushrooms with arugula and pine nut salad
photo — A cabotte is a little shack used as shelter by vine growers. Very few survived the Phylloxera blight of the 1860s, as vineyards were widely abandoned.
1448
MUSCADET DE SÈVRE ET MAINE SUR LIE, DOMAINE DE LA BRETONNIÈRE, 2018
Melon de Bourgogne
$ 23.00 $ 138.00
An immensely tasty aromatic Muscadet with melon and pear aromas, lemon and passionfruit flavours. It is light and refreshing with an overall more fruity character than previous vintages. Domaine de la Bretonnière vineyards are situated south of Nantes close to the Atlantic coast. 23 hectares are planted on granite schist soils at high density with good drainagevery important given the high rainfall coming in from the Atlantic. Winemaker Bertrand Cormerais comes from generations of vine growers in the region dating back to 1890.
2019-2020, M8 D9
Melons, pears 6°C
Passionfruit, lemon, [00]
Crab cakes with dill sauce
1449 CABERNET D’ANJOU EN MIREBEAU, AOC, 2018
Cabernet Franc
$
Off dry rosés have traditionally been produced around Anjou from Cabernet Franc grapes. En Mirabeau 2018 is a vibrant pale pink colour. Fruity aromas of melons, pears and strawberries are complemented by some residual sweetness and a balanced acidity finishing with flavours of lemon and fresh apples. Grapes came from a five-hectare plot on gravelly soils at the north-eastern boundary of the appellation.
pears 6°C
Off dry, fresh apples, lemon finish, [03]
2019-2020, M8 D9
Melons,
Spanakopita
1450 SAUMUR CHAMPIGNY SOUS LE CHÂTEAU, 2018
Cabernet Franc
$ 27.00 $ 162.00
A grippy wine with aromas of ripe and cooked cherries with a hint of soft calfskin leather. It is medium bodied with sour cranberry and redcurrant flavours and firm tannins on the finish. Cabernet Franc grapes came from vines planted on limestone and tufa soils at Chacé, several kilometres south of Saumur, a town known for its medieval fortress originally built in the 10th century. The wine was matured in French oak barrels with 10% new.
2019-2022, M8 D9
Ripe and cooked cherries, soft leather 18°C
Cranberries, redcurrants
Polenta beef ragout
PROVENCE
1451 DOMAINE DE BENDEL, AOP CÔTES DE PROVENCE, 2018
Grenache, Syrah, Cinsault, Carignan, Mourvèdre
$ 29.00 $ 174.00 NEW
Domaine de Bendel 2018 is very pale pink in colour, as is the fashion in Provence these days – when a small amount is poured into the glass it looks more a white wine. On the nose, mellow sherbet fruits, honeysuckle and fennel notes emerge. It is dry and
Provençal rosé has a 2600-year history. Add this delectable wine to your order today!
crisp and a perfect rosé for soaking up the summer sunshine. Domaine de Bendel lies in the heart of Provence at the foot of Mont Aurélien in the zone known as Sainte Victoire. A family domaine owned by JeanLuc Jauffret, grapes were harvested at night, pressed and the clear juice fermented at very low temperature.
2019-2020, M8 D9
Mellow, sherbet fruits, honeysuckle, fennel 6°C
Crisp, some red fruit, [00]
Grilled fish with orange-fennel salsa
photo — Marc Vappereau tends to his vines in the vineyard of Sancerre.
“We owe our international reputation to the diversity of the terroirs and the richness and variety of the grapes.“
LANGUEDOC-ROUSSILLON
LanguedocRoussillon
Paul Sapin
Paul Sapin has long been involved in the Languedoc region, working with Oliver Mandeville at Domaine Peirière and subsequently purchasing Domaine Blomac. The vineyards at both estates benefit from their location close to the Montagne Noire which provides a cooling effect to counter the sunshine and high summer temperatures. The constant sun and stable climate conditions mean that yields can be higher than other regions and still give flavoursome grapes. Mechanisation in the vineyards with the use of harvesting machines keeps costs down and so good quality wines can be produced while offering great value.
MAISON BELLEROCHE GRENACHE ROSÉ, IGP PAYS D’OC, 2018 Grenache
1453
17.00 $ 204.00 1452
MAISON BELLEROCHE CABERNET SAUVIGNON, IGP PAYS D’OC, 2018
Cabernet Sauvignon
Very pale in colour with aromas of red berries, sherbet with a savoury twist, Maison Belleroche has a touch of residual sweetness balanced by a crisp acidity.
Vibrant colour with floral, blackcurrant wine gum and spicy aromas. A supple medium bodied wine with some length.
2019-2020, M8 D9
Red berries
Crisp, [00]
Burrata and tomato salad with basil
2019-2021, M8 D9 Floral, black wine gums
A Languedoc version of this grape variety that has become better known and more closely associated with Argentina than its native France. These Malbec vines were planted in Languedoc over 20 years ago. Deep in colour, this wine has aromas of black cherries and fresh hay. It is smooth and medium bodied with succulent mid-palate fruits, complemented by a nutty character and bitter cherry finish.
DOMAINE PEIRIÈRE RÉSERVE SAUVIGNON, IGP PAYS D’OC, 2018
Sauvignon Blanc
$ 18.00 $ 216.00
Sauvignon Blanc is one of Olivier Mandeville’s specialties. His 2018 is light and refreshing with some gooseberry and fresh fennel aromas. More fruits emerge on the palate with lemon, lime and passionfruit all making an appearance. Domaine Peirière has been in Olivier’s family for over 400 years, but it was his father who developed the vineyard and planted interesting varieties that were not common in the region.
1456 DOMAINE PEIRIÈRE RÉSERVE VIOGNIER, IGP PAYS D’OC, 2018
Viognier $ 18.00 $ 216.00
A soft smooth Viognier with lemon and peach aromas leading to more white peaches on the palate. Broad in structure, it has a bitter citrus finish adding length. Domaine Peirière were one of the first domaines in the Languedoc to plant this variety. The vineyards are located on the plain between the river Aude and the Canal du Midi. Soils are clay, limestone and small stones.
Lime, lemon, [00]
Seared scallops and baby spinach with spiced pomegranate glaze
White peaches, citrus pith, [00]
Chicken à la King
2019-2021, M8 D9
Hay, black cherries 16°C
Succulent fruits, nuts
Lamb confit with fondant potatoes
2019-2020, M8 D9
Gooseberry, fennel 6°C
2019-2020, M8 D9
Lemon, peach 6°C
photo — Nicolas, Olivier Mandeville’s son, helps out in the vineyards.
CELLAR
1457 DOMAINE PEIRIÈRE RÉSERVE MERLOT, IGP PAYS D’OC, 2018
Merlot
$ 17.00 $ 204.00
Ruby in colour with some green leaf aromas complemented by red fruits, cherry jam and violets. It is supple and smooth with quite a weighty mid palate due to a few grams of residual sweetness. Grainy in texture, it has quite a firm acidity leading to a chewy finish with flavours of black liquorice.
1458
PEIRIÈRE RÉSERVE SYRAH, IGP PAYS D’OC, 2018 Syrah $ 17.00 $ 204.00
Fresh herbal aromas with mint and parsley precede more fruit flavours on the palate. Domaine Peirière’s 2018 Réserve Syrah is medium bodied with a bit more restraint and linear structure than previous vintages. Syrah vines are planted along the banks of the Canal du Midi near the Fontfille lock. The grapes were vinified in two different ways, undergoing a traditional vinification and a more Burgundian one with punching down of the cap two to three times a day.
Bitter cherries
Rack of veal with chanterelle mushrooms
1459 DOMAINE BLOMAC CHARDONNAY, IGP PAYS D’OC, 2018
An unoaked Chardonnay with mellow fruit aromas, lemon, verbena and delicate white blossom. Grapes were picked by machine from 2 o’clock in the morning while cool. The juice was fermented at low temperature, producing a smooth and elegant wine. A hint of rose petal and a slight bitter pith finish give this wine some depth.
White fruits, rose petal, [01]
Marinated salmon with salmoriglio sauce
2019-2021, M8 D9
Green leaf, cherry jam, violets 16°C
Red fruits, liquorice
Chili con carne
2019-2021, M8 D9
Herbs, parsley, mint 18°C
2019-2020, M8 D9
White blossom, lemon, verbena 6°C
photo — The village of Minerve has been selected as one of the most beautiful villages of France. It is the historical capital of the Minervois wine region.
LANGUEDOC-ROUSSILLON
Carcassonne
LGI Wines
Based in Carcassonne, the LGI team work with producers and wineries across the western Languedoc and Gers. Winemaker Fréderic Garrabou comes from a small village in the Limoux region and is his family’s fourth generation of vine growers. He joined LGI after working in the new world, having studied winemaking in France. Frédéric spends his time in the vineyards with growers.
“Tradition and innovation –we are French wine creators.“
photo — LGI’s Languedoc vineyards in the south of France. It is one of the world’s largest wine producing regions.
1460 LAGARDE, BLANC, IGP COMTÉ TOLOSAN, 2018
Ugni Blanc, Colombard
$ 16.00 $ 192.00
Great value for money – a pungently aromatic white with gooseberry and grapefruit flavours. It is flavoursome, easy drinking and relatively low in alcohol at 11.5%, with just a touch of sweetness to offset the zesty acidity. Ugni Blanc and Colombard were cultivated in the south-west of France. After a short skin contact, the juice was fermented at low temperature then aged on lees in tank.
1461 LAGARDE, ROUGE, IGP PAYS D’HÉRAULT, 2018
Carignan, Grenache
$ 16.00 $ 192.00
Plums and mulberry fruit aromas lead to a soft supple palate with sweet fruit flavours. This is a light to medium bodied wine, smooth with a sour red cherry finish. Carignan and Grenache were grown close to the city of Béziers.
1462
Shepherd’s pie
Pungent fruits, [01]
Blackened cod with Swiss chard
RÉSERVE DE MARANDE, CHARDONNAY, IGP PAYS D’OC, 2018
Chardonnay
$ 17.00 $ 204.00 NEW
A dry unoaked Chardonnay, pale in colour, with aromas of melon and fresh apples. It is light to medium bodied with pear flavours and a slightly bitter grapefruit twist. Grapes were grown north of Béziers in the foothills of the Montagne Noire.
Pear drops, [00]
Polish sausage and potato soup
2019-2020, M8 D9
Grapefruits, gooseberries 6°C
2019-2021, M8 D9
Mulberries, plums 16°C
Sweet fruits, sour red cherry finish
2019-2020, M8 D9
Fresh apples, melon 6°C
photo — The Gascony production area, located in the Midi-Pyrenées region, is famous for its verdant countryside interspersed with picturesque villages.
CELLAR
1463 TORTOISE CREEK WINES CARIGNAN, “VIEILLES VIGNES”, IGP PAYS D’HÉRAULT, 2018
Carignan
$ 18.00 $ 216.00
2019-2021, M8 D9
Redcurrants, banana, fresh leafy undergrowth 16°C
Oak, spices, cranberries
Szechuan pork ribs with white and wild rice
1464 LES PEYRAUTINS SYRAH, IGP PAYS D’OC, 2018
Syrah
$ 20.00 $ 240.00
Ripe dark berry fruits, fresh blackberries, blackcurrants with a touch of vanilla and patisserie aromas.
2018 Les Peyrautins Syrah is medium bodied with good mid palate fruit and some structure. For Les Peyrautins, Fréderic Garrabou, employed a combination of modern thermovinification on 40% of the grapes and a more traditional fermentation for the balance. 30% of the wine was aged with French oak.
2019-2022, M8 D9
Ripe dark berries, blackberries, blackcurrant, vanilla 18°C
Medium bodied with some structure
Grilled steak panzanella salad with tomato vinaigrette
Tortoise Creek is produced from 60-year-old Carignan vines in Cruzy and Argeliers, inland in the western Languedoc. It has a wild leafy, fresh undergrowth aroma combined with redcurrants and banana. It is medium bodied with a very firm natural acidity – offset by some residual sweetness. Half the blend was aged with French oak staves, conferring a distinct oak and spicy flavour with red cherries and sour cranberries on the finish.
1465
LE GRAND CHARLES BLANC, IGP CÔTES DE GASCOGNE, 2018
Sauvignon Blanc, Colombard, Gros Manseng
$ 23.00 $ 138.00
A pungently aromatic Côtes de Gascogne with intense gooseberry, apples and petrol characters. This is a flavoursome wine with bags of personality and a great long finish. Produced from a blend of 60% Sauvignon Blanc, 20% Colombard and 20% Gros Manseng grapes grown in the Côtes de Gascogne in south west France.
2019-2020, M8 D9
gooseberry, apples 6°C
Gooseberry, flint, [01]
Lobster Thermidor
Pungent
photo — Fréderic Garrabou is his family’s fourth generation of wine growers. He combines traditional French winemaking with modern techniques.
photo — Domaine Jones only grows traditional varieties, some of them extremely rare.
CELLAR 269 — QUEBEC
LANGUEDOC-ROUSSILLON
Tuchan
Domaine Jones
Originally from the UK, Katie Jones has lived in a remote corner of Southern France for more than twenty years. Based in the little village of Tuchan in the Western Languedoc, life and the local politics of living in this rural community is like something out of an Emile Zola novel set in the late 19th century – with jealousy, rivalry and sabotage all playing a role. Despite these difficulties, Katie is strongly attached to the land and has built up a collection of twenty plots of very old vines. Most are isolated plots difficult to access, at high altitude, and only possible to cultivate manually. Farming these is a real labour of love, and it shows in the wines.
1466 KATIE JONES ROUGE, VIN DE FRANCE, 2017
Grenache, Syrah
$ 26.00 $ 156.00
A light to medium bodied wine with raspberry and other red fruits aromas. It is fine in texture with fruit flavours enhanced by savoury herbal notes in the background and a bitter cherry finish. It is a blend of 80% Grenache and 20% Syrah from vines aged between 50 and 70 years. The varieties were harvested and vinified separately prior to blending in April after harvest.
2019-2022, M8 D9
Red fruits, raspberries 16°C
Savoury herbs, bitter cherries
Cornish hen wrapped in bacon
Grenache Noir
Carignan, Grenache, Syrah $ 35.00 $ 210.00 1467
$ 31.00 $ 186.00
This is where the story of Domaine Jones began, when Katie purchased 8,000 old vines planted on dark black slate soils near the village of Maury. The ninety-year-old vines are planted in a breath-taking vineyard overlooked by the ancient Cathar Quéribus Castle, which itself sits on the highest peak in the region at over 700 metres. The 2017 has blackberry and yeasty aromas. It is soft and supple with concentrated bitter cherry and almond flavours. Layers of flavour reveal themselves, creating a wine with depth and a long juicy cherry and bitter chocolate finish. Grapes were handpicked into small 12-kilo crates, destalked and chilled to a low temperature, where they were held for three days before fermentation.
1468 DOMAINE JONES FITOU, VIEILLES VIGNES, AOP, 2017
A rich and full-bodied wine with lots of southern personality, it has a slightly elusive savoury spice and musk aroma. A number of different vineyard plots are each tended to individually, harvested and vinified in their own vat. Concentrated on the palate, it was produced from 40% 100-year-old Carignan vines, with 30% Grenache grown on 80 to 100-year-old vines and 30% Syrah from 40-year-old vines. A selection was matured in small French oak barrels and the final blending done in late spring 2018. Flavours of bitter chocolate, black liquorice and black cherries are complemented by the evolution of firm ripe tannins on the tongue.
Katie Jones ran into many obstacles in her winemaking. Read about it in Vino Etcetera.
2019-2023, M8 D9
Blackberries, yeasty, almonds 18°C
Cherries, bitter chocolate
Ribeye steak with grilled baked potatoes
2019-2024, M7 D9
Savoury spice, musk 18°C
Bitter chocolate, black liquorice, black cherries
Braised beef with red wine, fennel and cinnamon
photo — Jane Masters and Katie Jones in Katie’s vineyards.
CELLAR 269 — QUEBEC
Carignan grapes came from two plots in Tuchan, both planted over 100 years ago. The wine is dense purple in colour with savoury meaty aromas. It is full bodied, concentrated and rich. As it opens in the glass, some more herbal notes are complemented by a long bitter cherry finish. It has a fine texture, and supple mid palate with a grippy tannic finale. Vines are farmed organically and the root structure of the old vines so well established that even in the driest of summers the vines remain lush and produce deliciously concentrated grapes. 10% of the wine was matured in two to three-year-old French oak barrels.
Deep purple in colour, Jones Vieux Cépages Syrah has appealing dark fruits, black cherries, damson jam and dark chocolate. On the palate it is soft and smooth with medium weight. It is supple with black fruit flavours and a bitter black cherry finish. The Syrah grapes came from two vineyards both planted over forty years ago. One planted at 350 metres which brings freshness and acidity, the other sited lower in the valley between Tuchan and Paziols gives richness and concentration. A quarter of the wine was aged in French oneyear oak barrels for a year.
2019-2024, M7 D9
Savoury meaty notes 18°C
Bitter cherries, herbs
Cardamom lamb stew
2019-2024, M7 D9
Dark chocolate, black cherry jam 18°C
Dark fruits, bitter cherry finish
Rustic sausage pasta with kale
photo — Grape pickers during harvest at Domaine Jones. Picking has to be done by hand because of the remoteness of the terrain.
LANGUEDOC-ROUSSILLON
Rustiques, Languedoc
Château Canet
Château Canet is a beautiful estate in the Minervois on the outskirts of the village of Rustiques. Neither Vicky nor Floris come from generations of vinegrowers, nor can either claim family ties to this historic property, but they have very much made it theirs and raised their family here. They live in the grand old house and have transformed the old stable buildings into a winery. Vineyards have been re-structured; winemakers’ cottages have become gîtes (B&Bs) and the couple continue to develop the estate producing olive oil, honey and other produce. Both of their children are getting involved. Oliver made wine in Argentina last year and the vineyards in Limoux are very much his project. His younger sister Charlotte has created a range of wines known as Fleur de Charlotte, which replaces Baronnie de Canet.
“C’est une histoire de famille: Seeing the next generation getting involved and adding their ideas is wonderful.“
– Floris Lemstra
1472
1471 FINES BULLES DE CANET, AOC BLANQUETTE DE LIMOUX, MÉTHODE TRADITIONNELLE, 2016
Mauzac, Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc
$ 28.00 $ 168.00
Fresh white fruits, tinned pears and blossom aromas lead to a soft creamy palate. Some sweetness is complemented with tangy fresh lemon and apple flavours with a pithy finish. Sparkling wine was produced in Limoux by the monks of the abbey of St-Hilaire long before it was in the Champagne region. Fines Bulles de Canet Blanquette de Limoux was made according to the traditional method with a second fermentation in bottle. It is a blend of 90% Mauzac, 5% Chardonnay and 5% Chenin grapes.
FLEUR DE CHARLOTTE VIOGNIER, IGP PAYS D’OC, 2018
Viognier $ 20.00 $ 120.00 NEW
Fleur de Charlotte 2018 Viognier has intense fresh and cooked peach aromas and floral notes. It is soft and smooth on the palate, with a nice lemony acidity cutting through and giving balance. Viognier grapes were sourced from the coast and Sète. After a short skin maceration, grapes were pressed, and the juice left to settle naturally. The clear juice was fermented at low temperature. More linear in structure than other southern French Viogniers, it has a deliciously moreish lemon and grapefruit finish.
Sushi and sashimi dishes
2019-2020, M8 D9
White fruits, tinned pears, blossom 6°C
Lemon, apple, [02]
Oysters on the half shell
2019-2020, M8 D9
Fresh and cooked peaches, floral 6°C
Lemon, [00]
photo — Château Canet is nestled in the middle of its natural circus of vineyards, olive trees and truffle oaks.
1473
VICTORIA CHARDONNAY, FAVORITE SELECTION, IGP PAYS D’OC, 2018
Chardonnay
$ 22.00 $ 132.00
An oaky Chardonnay where the oak is nicely integrated with the wine’s fruit flavours. Victoria Chardonnay has aromas of lemon meringue and cooked lemons. It is soft and supple on the palate with fresh fruit flavours and a long crisp finish. Produced from Vicky’s selection of Chardonnay grapes from the eight hectares planted on the estate, half the wine was fermented in tank, half fermented and matured with oak.
1474
VIGNOBLES CANET, PICPOUL DE PINET, AOP, TÊTE DE CUVÉE, 2018
$ 24.00 $ 144.00
In recent years, Opimian has only been able to get hands on 100 cases of Vignoble Canet’s Picpoul de Pinet, with many members being disappointed. I am happy to report that the 2018 is delicious and this year we have secured twice the quantity. It is subtle in fragrance yet complex with aromas of fresh hay, green apple blossom, spring meadows and jasmine. It is smooth and round on the palate with melon, lemon and lime flavours and a citrus pith finish. Picpoul de Pinet vineyards are close to the Etang de Thau and the coast, enjoying a warm climate tempered by the sea breezes from the Mediterranean Sea.
2019-2021, M8 D9
Oaky, lemon meringue 6°C
Fresh fruits, crisp, [00]
Cheese platter
2019-2020, M8 D9
Green apples, spring meadows, jasmine 6°C
Melon, lemon, lime, [00]
Mussel marinière
1475
VIGNOBLES CANET, MERLOT CABERNET SAUVIGNON, SPECIAL OAK RESERVE, IGP PAYS D’OC, 2018
Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon
$ 22.00 $ 132.00 1476
Distinctly oaky with mellow woody and seasoned oak aromas, the 2018 Merlot Cabernet Sauvignon - Oak Reserve is medium bodied with more fruits on the palate, tart raspberries and plums with fresh berry flavours which are nicely balanced with a grainy texture. It is a blend of 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Sauvignon sourced from vineyards in the Minervois, Cabardès and Limoux.
2019-2021, M8 D9
Mellow, woody, vanilla 18°C
Tart raspberries, plums
Beef empanadas
CHÂTEAU CANET, AOP MINERVOIS, ROUGE, 2018
Syrah, Grenache
$ 25.00 $ 150.00
An immediate hit in the line-up – Floris’ 2018 Minervois has intense aromas of crushed blackcurrants, blackberries and raspberries. It is soft and supple on the palate with a silky texture. Medium bodied with fresh red and dark fruit flavours and classy ripe tannins. A blend of 70% Syrah and 30% Grenache, grapes were harvested at night and underwent a cold soak. 15% of the blend was matured in oak, conferring depth and complexity without heavy oak characters.
2019-2021, M8 D9
Crushed blackcurrants, blackberries, raspberries 18°C
Fresh red and black fruits
Duck cassoulet
bottom photo — Oliver, Floris’s son. At only 20 years old, he signs his third vintage as a winemaker
CELLAR 269 — QUEBEC
1477
CANET FAMILY RÉSERVE, AOP MINERVOIS, 2018
Syrah, Grenache
A full-bodied wine with mellow oak and musky aromas overlaid over cooked summer fruits. On the palate, savoury characters combine with vanilla and fruit. It has a grainy texture finishing with dark fruits and smoke. It is a blend of 85% Syrah with 15% Grenache, with the best barrel in the cellar used for the Family Reserve.
Floris and Vicky spent many years living and working in Burgundy – its where they met –and both have a love of fine white Burgundy. Several years ago, Floris had a few new French oak barrels in a corner of the winery and decided to experiment with producing a Languedoc alternative to the great wines of Burgundy. His Alternative 2018 is a rich buttery style with aromas of butterscotch, banana and toffee. On the palate, ripe peaches and buttery toast flavours combine to create a smooth broad and rich wine. It was fermented in new oak barrels from the Nevers forest in central France and remained on lees until May.
Chicken in creamy mustard sauce served with cornbread
2019-2024, M7 D9
Cooked summer fruits, musky 18°C
Savoury, vanilla, dark fruits
Roast beef with Yorkshire pudding
2019-2021, M8 D9
Banana, butterscotch 6°C
Ripe peaches, buttery, toast, [00]
top photo — The driving force behind Château Canet is its team, with more than one hundred years of cumulated experience.
1479 CANET MIXED CASE
Three bottles each La Chapelle and Les Evangiles
A mixed case with the two top wines from Château Canet. Whenever I pass close to Canet – it’s about half way on the drive between Nice and Bordeaux – we tend to drop in to say hi and to pick up a couple of cases of these wines which have become real favourites. Sadly they never last long, although I have tried to hide a few in my cellar away from temptation for future prosperity.
CHÂTEAU CANET LA CHAPELLE, AOP, CUVÉE GRENACHE, 2016
CHÂTEAU CANET LES EVANGILES, AOP, CUVÉE SYRAH, 2017
La Chapelle is the oldest vineyard at Château Canet, with 70-year-old Grenache. It is named so after the fact that the vineyard is planted on the remains of an ancient 12th century chapel. The gnarled old vines produce low yields and were hand harvested late in the season on October 2nd, 2016. Intense aromas of raspberries and fresh herbs with a touch of resin give it personality. It is medium bodied and supple with a fresh tangy acidity which combines deliciously with flavours of strawberry and raspberry jam and a long sour cherry finish. A long cold maceration for ten days was followed by fermentation and a further three weeks on skins with punching down by foot twice daily.
Les Evangiles is deep in colour with delicious vanilla, blackberries, patisserie, smoke and mint chocolate aromas. This is a voluptuous wine with a mineral streak. It is soft, with grippy tannins giving a powdery texture. Bitter cherry and chocolate flavours compete on the finish, making it extremely moreish. Les Évangiles is the highest vineyard on the estate with views across the domaine and towards the winery. Old Syrah vines are planted on deep soils of clay and limestone. Yields are low – in the region of 20 hl/hectaregiving great concentration. Fermentation was done in open top tanks with the skins pushed down by foot three times a day. The wine was matured in Burgundian oak barrels with 30% new, 40% one year old and 30% two-year-old.
Bitter
Coq au vin
Syrah
Grenache
2019-2023, M8 D9
Raspberry, herbs, resin 18°C
Strawberry and raspberry jam, sour cherry
Venison steak with Grand Veneur sauce
2019-2024, M7 D9
Vanilla, blackberries, patisseries, mint chocolate 18°C
cherries, chocolate
photo — Canet’s top cuvées are hand-crafted, or rather foot-crafted, as the grapes are pushed down by foot during the fermentation.
has been a treasured Opimian partner for over 20 years.
Floris Lemstra
photo — The best moment of the year for Floris: harvest time.
photo — At the beginning of March, the vineyard is filled with blooming rosemary. We smell the spring coming and start cooking with rosemary flowers.
CELLAR 269 — QUEBEC
Combaillaux BLB Vignobles
Domaine de la Jasse
1481
Domaine de la Jasse is located in the Eastern Languedoc in the hills north west of the town of Montpellier, on the outskirts of the village of Combaillaux. 54 hectares of vineyards are planted within the 250-hectare estate in the foothills of the Cévennes mountains. Indeed, the first planting of vines in the 1960s required blasting and grinding the rocks. The vines at 150 to 200 metres are surrounded by wild garrigues and woodlands. The altitude, relatively cool nights and a rocky limestone terroir produce especially good results growing Cabernet Sauvignon to produce high quality wines with class and longevity. Bruno Le Breton started as winemaker at Domaine de la Jasse in 1995 and subsequently purchased the estate in 2008. Bruno is on a quest for a “better life together” and has a very strong sustainability and social responsibility agenda – something he lives every day.
FINES BULLES DE LA JASSE, BRUT, ROSÉ, VIN DE FRANCE, 2018
$ 26.00 $ 156.00
Pretty salmon pink in colour with intense fruit aromas of apples and pear drops, Domaine de la Jasse Fine Bulles is soft and fruity with nectarine and peachy flavours. Produced from a blend of 60% Grenache 30% Syrah 10% Merlot, grapes were immediately pressed after picking and the juice underwent a single fermentation at low temperature in pressurized tanks to retain the natural CO2 produced.
2019-2020, M8 D9
Intense apples, pear drops 6°C
Nectarines, peaches, lemon finish, [00]
Beef carpaccio with capers
Grenache, Syrah, Merlot
It was with great sadness that I learnt earlier this year of the death of Patrick Léon. I knew and worked with Patrick when he was Director at Château Mouton Rothschild in the 1990s. His experience with the Bordeaux first growth made him one of the world’s greatest experts on Cabernet Sauvignon and for over ten years he collaborated with Bruno at Domaine de la Jasse. The Réserve d’Excellence was born out of that collaboration. It is a full bodied Cabernet Sauvignon with intense smoky aromas with black liquorice. On the palate it is concentrated and savoury with a fine texture leading to a rustic robust finish with lots of grip. It will benefit from some cellaring prior to drinking. A special selection of grapes underwent an extended maceration on skins. The wine was matured for twelve months in barrels with a particular high toast.
A soft easy drinking rosé with lots of flavour – raspberry, lemon sherbet, pears and some blackcurrant. A touch of phenolic bitterness gives the wine some length, adding an extra dimension. Grapes were gently pressed, fermented at low temperature and the wine aged on lees for six months.
The mainstay of the domaine, Vieilles Vignes is a Cabernet Sauvignon-based blend with 10% Merlot. It is a savoury wine with mellow aromas of cola, herbs and calfskin over a fruit background with a whiff of creosote and smoke. On the palate some leafy Cabernet flavours emerge, complemented by dark blackcurrants and smoke. It is supple with a fine texture leading to a grippy finish with herbal notes.
[00]
Char-grilled
2019-2020, M8 D9
Lemon sherbet, raspberry, pear drops 6°C
Blackcurrant,
Shrimp gazpacho
2020-2024, M7 D8
Smoke, dark fruit 18°C
Black liquorice, garrigues
Braised short ribs with herbes de Provence and butternut squash
2019-2022, M8 D9
Cola, herbs, smoke 18°C
Leafy, blackcurrant
beef tenderloin with chimichurri sauce
photo — The white limestone soil makes the grapes grow. At night, the rocks reflect the warmth they absorbed from the sun all day.
CELLAR 269
1485
TÊTE DE CUVÉE DE LA JASSE, IGP PAYS D’OC, 2017
Cabernet Sauvignon
$ 29.00 $ 174.00
A wine that smells more of the garrigues amongst which the vines are planted, than the Cabernet Sauvignon grape variety. The 2017 smells of a bouquet garni of wild herbs such as oregano and rosemary with a savoury musky edge. It is medium to full bodied, well-structured with a fine texture and a bitter liquorice and dark chocolate finish. Grapes come from a specific parcel of the oldest vines on the estate which are approximately 35 years old. Planted between 150 and 200 metres, with an east-south-east exposition, the wine was matured in the finest French oak barrels for up to 16 months.
1486
DOMAINE MONTLOBRE, LA CHAPELLE, VIEILLES VIGNES, IGP PAYS D’OC, 2017
Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon
$ 27.00 $ 162.00
Where Domaine de la Jasse focuses on Cabernet Sauvignon, Domaine Montlobre, located in the Mosson Valley, has fertile red soils rich in calcium, iron and other minerals. It is most suitable to grow Merlot. La Chapelle 2017, a blend of 90% Merlot with 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, exudes herbal and incense aromas. A more rustic wine, it has flavours of dried herbs and black cherry fruits with quite a dry chewy finish. This bottle is named after the old chapel which now serves as the barrel cellar.
Bitter cherries
Vegetarian burger with grilled red capsicum peppers and sweet onions
2020-2024, M7 D8
Wild herbs, rosemary, oregano, musk 18°C
Dark chocolate, blackcurrant, liquorice
Moussaka
2019-2022, M8 D9
Violets, raspberry, rosemary
18°C
photo — 2018 was special for one thing in particular: snow in the south of France. The Chapel, where the wines age, was seen under a new light.
“Our wines allow the unique Corsican terroir to express its character and authenticity.“
Lieu-dit Morta Majo Patrimonio
Domaine Orenga de Gaffory CORSICA
Located in the north of the island of Corsica on the west coast, Domaine Orenga de Gaffory has approximately 55 hectares of vines. The appellation region of Patrimonio along with the Golfe of SaintFlorent and the valley of the Conca D’Oro, has been officially classified as a “Grand Site de France” – a protected area of natural beauty. In addition, the limestone clay soils, reliable sunshine, moderate annual rainfall (most of which falls in the winter months), and the cooling effect of the breeze blowing in off the Golfe of Saint-Florent all make for an ideal spot to grow quality grapes. Vines are tended to by Piotr Nowicki, a Pole who has fallen in love with the island since moving there with his wife and kids. This year Piotr will see all the vineyards complete the conversion to organic. Wines are made by Philippe Rideau. Henri Orenga and the team have plans to develop the winery as well as creating a larger space to receive visitors and a new art gallerycontemporary modern art is Henri’s other passion.
photo — Freshly harvested ripe Nielluccio grapes.
1488
1489
L’ALZETANA BLANC, AOP
PATRIMONIO, 2018, ORENGA DE GAFFORY
Vermentino
$ 30.00 $ 180.00
2019-2020, M8 D9
nectarines,
Fresh peaches, lemon, [00]
Crumb-coated red snapper with a squeeze of lemon
Delightful yellow nectarine, mandarin and honeysuckle aromas lead to a smooth palate with more fresh peaches. This medium bodied white with a crisp lemon finish was produced from 100% Vermentino. Most of the island of Corsica is made up of granite-based soils but there are a few localized spots with limestone bedrock. The appellation of Patrimonio in the northern part of the island is renowned for its limestone rich clay soils.
Treat your taste buds to the unique flavors of handcrafted wines.
L’ALZETANA ROUGE, AOP
PATRIMONIO, 2016, ORENGA DE GAFFORY
Nielluccio, Grenache
$ 30.00 $ 180.00
Nielluccio is genetically the same grape as Tuscany’s Sangiovese. In this terroir it displays a different personality – it’s a bit more edgy and a bit more austere. Cuvée l’Alzetana has redcurrant and bitter cherry characters. Initially light on the palate, it has a fine-grained texture and develops a grippy tannin finish. Grapes were destemmed and fermented at 27°C -30°C then matured in tank.
2019-2022, M8 D9
red fruits 16°C
Bitter cherry, redcurrant
Yellow
mandarin, honeysuckle 6°C
Toast,
Bresaola with olives and rustic bread
bottom photo — When the grape berries begin to change color, harvest is within sight.
CELLAR 269 — QUEBEC
1490
CUVÉE DES GOUVERNEURS ROUGE, AOP PATRIMONIO, 2016, ORENGA DE GAFFORY
Nielluccio
$ 47.00 $ 282.00
Cuvée des Gouverneurs Rouge is starting to show some nice tertiary development with meaty gamey aromas combined with floral violet notes and pencil lead. It will need some more time to fully develop. On the lighter side of medium bodied, it has a supple mid palate with wild berry fruits, a firm acidity and grainy texture. Nielluccio was picked by hand, de-stemmed and crushed. After fermentation and malolactic in tank, it was matured in French oak barrels of 300 and 600 litres for twelve months using a third each of new, one-year-old and two-year-old barrels.
1491
CUVÉE DES GOUVERNEURS, AOP MUSCAT-DU-CAP-CORSE, 2012, ORENGA DE GAFFORY, VIN DOUX NATUREL
Muscat Blanc à Petits Grains
$ 37.00 $ 222.00
Muscat is a speciality of the Cap Corse – a 40-kilometre long peninsula located at the northern tip of Corsica that points towards France. 2012 Cuvée des Gouverneurs Muscat du Cap Corse is golden in colour with complex aromas of apricot and orange marmalade. It is sweet with flavours of barley sugar, bitter caramelized oranges, vanilla and burnt sugar. Only Muscat Blanc à Petits Grains is permitted for its production rather than more productive varieties of Muscat. Grapes were picked by hand and left to macerate on skins for 24 hours. The juice was fermented in French oak barrels and arrested with grape spirit to give a sweetness and alcohol of 16%.
2020-2025, M7 D8
Meaty, pencil lead, violets 18°C
Wild berry fruits
Mushroom lentil ragù pasta
2019-2024, M7 D9
Apricot, orange marmalade, complex 6°C
Barley sugar, caramelized oranges, burnt sugar, [08]
Peach and raspberry cobbler
top photo — The luxuriant vineyards of Patrimonio, the oldest appellation in Corsica.
Our Programs
Opimian’s wine programs are designed to help you develop your palate at each stage of your journey. It starts with Discovery; once you’ve cultivated your curiosity and explored the wine world, you can graduate to Select Plus — the “next level” mixed cases, with both ready to drink wines and wines for aging. After you’ve challenged your palate and started your cellar, it’s time to start collecting with Founders’ Choice — premium wines available exclusively through this program. You do not have to worry about deadlines or ordering procedures since Opimian automatically places an order on your behalf with every new Cellar Offering. Your preferred payment will be used, then your wine is shipped and you will receive a Pick Up Notice indicating where to pick it up. Visit opimian.ca for more information.
EAGER TO LEARN your way around the world of wine or simply enjoy a selection of bottles for everyday drinking? The Discovery program has it all. Over the course of the year, members enrolled in this program receive one mixed case of six bottles from a featured supplier per cellar offering. These wines are all for immediate drinking so you can indulge in one or two the moment they get to you. Whether you’re new to Opimian or fancy hopping on an introductory tour of the world of wine, we recommend this route.
DELVE INTO A VERSATILE SELECTION of bottles and explore the four corners of the world of wine. This program features both early drinkability and mid-term aging potential bottles so you can enjoy some now and lay the others down. Throughout the year, Select Plus members receive one mixed case of six bottles per Cellar Offering. These wines may all be enjoyed young but will benefit from some maturing time. The ideal program for those who wish to expand their horizons and refine their palate one bottle at a time.
The Founders’ Choice supplier for this cellar offering is Orenga de Gaffory $
A COLLECTOR’S DREAM. Dedicated to the spirit of our Founders, this program features wines that are exclusive to this program and don’t appear on our Cellar Offerings. Made up of six bottles of a premium wine with a dedicated back label and a special message with tasting notes from the producer, each of the cases you will receive represents some of the very best our producers have to offer. These bottles offer long-term aging potential so you might want to free up space in that cellar … or start building one.
The Select Plus supplier for this cellar offering is BLB Vignobles
The Discovery supplier for this cellar offering is Château Canet